I see it with my own cat and also in so many videos of pets loving to be petted with headpats or scritches but why?
Is it the affection humans give to pets that they know they are loved or does it give them a dopamine boost? Is it similiar as to why humans like to kiss somebody they love as it makes us feel good.
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You are in luck because I’m married to a veterinarian and he’s sitting right here. He said that animals like to be petted or touched because it’s social bonding and a sense of security. It also mimics grooming behavior in the pack. <insert small side road of him talking about gorillas picking nits off of each other and how they do that with their human caretakers in zoos and sanctuaries as well> It also stimulates their brains and is calming. Dogs and cats think of us as the pack leader so they’ve been getting groomed and snuggles from each other and their mother since they were born, so it’s a natural inclination.
Have you ever been petted? Had someone scratch your head or back or beard? It feels amazing. Now imagine having hair all over that is always feeling like you had a hat on too long, then someone starts scratching and massaging that tender/sore skin.
Oxytocin boost. For you too.
Also they can’t reach their own head, so they need someone else to scratch and groom their head for them.
For 10,000 years we’ve fed and kept the ones that bond with us and abandoned or killed the ones that didn’t. Artificial selection.
I find more interesting why HUMANS like petting pets! Like, we’re not being petted and we really enjoy petting haha
Evolutionarily it’s partly because it spreads their scent markers around, if you pet a cat, it’s scent gets on you and then everywhere you touch.
Most humans like being petted too. Who doesn’t like a good massage?